My Pediatrician said that a led test was routine for 9-12 month old

Brittany - posted on 02/22/2011
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My son's pediatrician said that we should get some "routine" blood work done. She said that a lead test was regular for a nine month old, but I could wait until he was 12 months if I wanted to. I have just never heard of this. Has your pediatrician asked for this? I'm just wondering about your experiences.

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Sherry - posted on 02/28/2011

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I live in Michigan and it's routine here. They do a basic test for lead as well as a test for iron/anemia. Good thing too! Neither one of the my kids had a problem with lead, but my DD had some pretty bad anemia that wouldn't have been diagnosed without the routine blood tests. DD did show any outward signs of the anemia, but it was pretty bad. She almost had to end up with a tranfusion and we had to see a pediatric blood specialist for a while. I'm sure there are other things the routine tests can spot too!It's no big deal. They poke your LO finger with a diabetes type thing and squeeze out a little blood into a tube that way. They don't take that much. It's pretty quick.

That is a normal test for a kids one year check up. My daughter cried but only for a minute and my son didn't make a sound. They just take it from the finger and it is a small amount. It is very important test. Most people think lead is just from old homes and paint but what about the toys they play with? It just helps make sure toys are not full of lead too.

A blood test for lead is VERY normal and is often done (particularly in regions where lead paint is a concern) with children under 5, because of high lead dust inhalation and ingestion risk. I certainly wouldn't be alarmed. It is an excellent precautionary measure. High lead levels in developing children is cause for serious concern so monitoring lead is an important step in ensuring that devastating but preventable developmental problems do not occur.

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Alisha - posted on 04/07/2011

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Yes I would do the lead test, it's just like a finger or heal prick and they test their blood to make sure they did not injest any lead from paint on old houses mostly. It is very poisonous and can kill them so it is worth doing. My daughter is 5 and still gets tested!

We had routine lead testing around 12 months (one year ago). I assumed it was standard, but am interested to see so many people saying it may change depending where you live. Both our pediatrician and the WIC office asked for it. The old housing theory could fit here, as my town/surrounding towns are quite old (many, many victorian homes and spanish missions, which I assume probably used lead paint at some point). It was just a finger prick for us as well; not pleasant but not as bad as vaccines.

interesting. My sons doc hasn't suggested any blood tests at all. The only thing he's had done was the iron level test at his last WIC appointment. Seems like every doctor is different. It might vary by area, maybe you're town has a history of lead poisoning being an issue?

We had to get the test done as well, and may I recommend you get it done sooner than later. We got out son's done at 15 months due to moving across country and the delay in finding a new pediatrician and at 15 months they took his blood like they would an adult! It was very traumatic for him. Thankfully everything was normal.

If you live in a lead belt community then it is routine...my daughter is two and a half and since we live in a lead mines area she has to betested twice a year...it's actullay a law in Missouri for your child to be tested if you live in a area that has high lead levels or in a house that was built during the times of lead paint....it's a simple test and won't hurt them at all...it's a good idea to know what your child's lead levels are...

MY pediatrician has me fill out a little survey to see if lead would be a problem. With my ODD she had to be checked for lead because she went to a daycare that was in an old building and I didn't know how old it was. With my YDD she didn't have to be checked for lead because she stays with my mom. They alwas do routine bloodwork around this age to make sure the iron levels and all that are normal. Lead is just an extra precaution. Old homes may have lead base paint in them and if it starts to chip your child can get sick from it.

I had to have my kids lead tested because we live in a old house even though the house was tested, but not a "routine" thing. Know that my oldest is in school they want me to test him again cause the test was so old they wanted to make sure...did you do a survey that where you answered a question that you house should have lead or you have aim in the house?

My sons have never had a lead test but their doctor asked every time we go for a checkup if we live in a house biult before a certain year(can't remember the year70's i think) and it's an option to have the test if we are concerned.

i had to fill out a questionnairre when my daughter was 9 months old to determine how "at risk" she was for lead poisoning and because her childcare center and our home are older buildings they did the finger prick at a year old.

i believe in most states a lead test at age one and age two are mandatory and thank goodness they are, my sons test at age one was fine but soon after that we moved and started renting a old farm house, when he had his 2 year test sone it came back elivated, and the health department had to come out and check the whole house. thank goodness because we would have just sat here not knowing about the lead and his level could have kept on going up and up, its a very very scary ordeal but definatly manageable if lead ends up being a problem.

That isn't a routine test. Ask more questions and when they pull the trust thing tell them that for you to trust your doctor they need to trust you. some doctors have private routines but never take "routine" as an explanation. their is a reason for every "routine" and you need to know it.

I believe it depends on your pediatrician. Some believe in having it done and some don't. My son, who is 13 months old, has never had this test done, nor has his doctor even mentioned it. However, my sisters kids have all had lead tests done, so I really think it depends on whether or not your childs doctor thinks its a test that needs to be done.

Yes this is routine especially important if you live in an older house. Lead levels that are high in young children can have bad consequences. I am a pediatric RN too and they will test for it where I work too. Hope his helps....if u r worried about the poke don't worry your baby wont remember

Yes. Our ped (new york) indicated this was a national mandate but I might be remembering it wrong. In any case, we obviously elected to do it since lead poisoning can be devastating to brain development. We live in a pre-war apartment so I wasn't without *some* level of worry. Thankfully, V's results were fine.

it has become routine because of the lead that has been found in certain products... both my kids got it as soon as they were old enough to start picking things up and putting them in their mouth...they do it more so in children that live in older homes *that may have been painted before 1975 i believe* when they still used lead based paint...

Meghan - The doctor had told me it would be a finger prick but when i got to the hospital where they drew it the nurse said apparently it takes longer when they do the prick on the finger because they have to keep squeezing it and the blood clots so they don't get good results. Also the blood isnt as pure so there would be a good chance they would have to do it again. I was a bit surprised too, the needle seemed pretty big, but the nurse was done in less than 5 seconds. I live in upstate New York. The doctor said he needed to get it done because of where my husband works.

Depending on the person drawing blood the experiance for a child isn't as traumatic as the parent will make it seem. In my experiance the parent can make it worse (My mom freaks at the sight of blood and my fiance has nearly passed out, but I've had routine blood draws since I was 6). I usually tell my daughter to look at me, close her eyes and just sit still. Never tell your child this won't hurt because we all know it's not true. Tell them it'll pinch, but it'll be over quickly. There's a lot you can do as a parent to take the fear out of getting a shot or a blood draw.Briana, I'm surprised the lab you were at did a vein draw on a 13 month old, that's not routine here in NY. I'm amazed they could find a butterfly needle small enough for him/her.

My question to all of you here is: has anyone's child received a positive test result for lead? I live in California and my pediatrician wanted to take a blood test for lead when my daughter was around 1. I didn't want to subject my daughter to the trauma of drawing her blood. She is 3 now, and I probably will not subject her to a blood test anytime soon.

I work in the Lab, and I have a 5 year old, and a 8 month old. Depending on the area you live, and the pediatrician, they order a lead test. Basicly, we live in older houses, and they are testing for lead paint.

My son is 13 months and had to get a Lead test done today actually. They drew blood through his arm because they said it was easier and quicker than pricking his finger and trying to keep squeezing enough blood out. He cried at first but it was very quick.

My son's pediatrician said we should get routine blood work done as a lead test, I believe it was around 9 months. My husband took him to the pediatrician and to get the blood work done, but as far as I know it is pretty common. I believe it does have to do with the age of the home you live in, though because I don't think my sister-in-law had to have the blood work done for her kids but she lived in a newer home at the time.

I guess each state is different? I had to have it done when my oldest (now 11 years old) was one and then with my other two daughters (2 years old) they had it done when they turned one also.I guess if you have high levels of lead,it could lead to learning disabilities and things.Good luck.

My pediatrician did it. They did a finger poke, and that was that. It is to check the lead levels and make sure the blood is clean and he is developing immunity properly. We got my sons checked at a year old!

Don't worry it just means you have a good pediatrician. lead is in lots of things you wouldn't expect so at the age when everything goes in there mouth it's better to be safe than sorry. If the levels are eleveted they will help you find out why and help you minimize your kids exposure. My son got screened around his first birthday they pricked his heel wasn't too bad.

I have not had a pediatrician ask this of me but my youngest it almost 4 so it might be something new. Although if you go to WIC they ask if you would like to have it done for free. I would go for it better safe than sorry. U never no what is made with lead based paint that a child could be touching or putting near their mouth!

Ours did it automatically at 12 months! It's just a blood test. We have her 2 yr check up tomorrow so will see if they test again. It's safe for your child and they also check for iron/anemia. I'm in Iowa, so it sounds like it's in a lot of states....

After seeing some of these responses I think some people are out of there mind. (no offense) My ped told us that we had to take my daughter to do a routine lead test. They don't just take blood if something is wrong..I live in Georgia and as far as I know alot of states do this kinda thing

both of my kids had lead tests at 1 year and again at 2 years. its routine...if a child is exposed to lead they can develop mental retardation so its important to identify it right away if there is/was an exposure!